October 29, 2026
Most people know The Willows for the pond, the lawn and the stone mansion you see from Darby Paoli Road. This November the park takes on more work than that. Volunteers will plant 100 native trees along its two streams. Its parking lot has become the main entrance to Skunk Hollow next door. And the nonprofit that runs the mansion is raising money to dry out the basement and repair the foundation.
Every change on that list happens during the same few weeks of late fall. It's easy to miss in November and plain to see by spring.
In August, Radnor's Board of Commissioners approved a creek restoration at The Willows and at Warren Filipone Park. The money comes from the township's Commemorative Shade Tree Fund, up to $37,350. At The Willows, the work covers Abrahams Run between Darby Paoli Road and Little Darby Creek, plus the stretch of Little Darby Creek between the park's exit and entrance roads.
James Gibbons chairs the Radnor Shade Tree Commission. He described the plan to the board, as Mainline Media News reported:
"The project entails removal of invasive vegetation, planting native trees and bushes by volunteers. Debris is going to remain on site for habitat, and we're planning for maintenance to promote growth of native plants over a five-year period."
The planting is the visible part of a longer effort. The township has hired Girod's Property Maintenance to clear the banks by machine. After that, volunteers and township staff plant native trees and shrubs to hold the soil and, over time, crowd out the invasive plants. The first mowing was scheduled for September. A second mowing comes in November, right before the plants go in. The banks will look rough for a while before they look better. Leaving debris on site is part of the plan.
The township's September 30 volunteer notice splits the planting into two days:
| Date | What goes in the ground | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | 70 container trees and 134 bushes | Banks of Abrahams Run and a section of Little Darby Creek |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | 30 bare-root trees | Added to the same restoration area |
The two sources give slightly different shrub counts. The overall project, as described to the board, calls for 100 native trees and 130 native bushes. The township's planting-day notice lists 134 bushes for November 8 alone. Either way, both counts put the November planting at 100 trees. Sign-ups go through the link in the township notice. Gibbons named Radnor Public Works, the Shade Tree Commission, Radnor Conservancy and, he hoped, Villanova Conservancy volunteers and residents as the planting crew.
The streams being replanted run toward Skunk Hollow, the 93.7-acre park next door along Little Darby Creek. Skunk Hollow has nature trails, fishing and a fenced plot run by the Skunk Hollow Community Garden. For most of 2026, The Willows has also been its front door.
Patch reported on February 12 that Skunk Hollow's roadside lot was closed because of cracks in a bridge foundation. Township officials pointed visitors to Saw Mill Park or The Willows instead. The township's own Skunk Hollow page still lists the lot as closed to vehicles "until further Notice." It says parking is available only at those two neighboring parks. On September 28, commissioners awarded a contract for a temporary bridge, according to a Pennsylvania Record meeting summary. The bridge keeps public works crews moving while a culvert replacement is designed. The summary says nothing about public parking reopening.
That makes The Willows lot a shared trailhead, and the dog rules change at the property line. Under Radnor Ordinance 2025-3, adopted in July 2025, dogs are not permitted in The Willows Park. The township's dogs in parks page lists it with the other parks where dogs are prohibited. Skunk Hollow has its own section of the ordinance. Dogs must be on a physical leash there on Saturdays, Sundays and township holidays from noon until the park closes at dusk. At other times they may be off leash as long as their owners keep them under control. They must be leashed in the Skunk Hollow parking lot at all times. The ordinance spells out how each park handles dogs, and the township posts the rules at each site.
Radnor counts the Willows, Skunk Hollow and Saw Mill Park trails as part of a connected southern network of about five miles. Friends of Radnor Trails, Boy Scout troops and church groups helped build the trails.
The same trails host one of the township's few evening programs of the year. Radnor's Owl Encounter & Night Hike starts at Willows Mansion and continues onto the Skunk Hollow trails. It runs Friday, November 13 and Friday, November 20, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Rain dates are November 14 and 21, and registration goes through the township's recreation portal. The event page links the 2026 flyer.
The schedules overlap. The bare-root planting falls on Saturday, November 14, the same day as the first owl hike's rain date, along the same streams.
The mansion that anchors all this is older than most of the houses around it. John and Mary Sinnott built it in 1910 and named it Rose Garland. The architect was Charles Barton Keen of Philadelphia. The Zantzinger family later renamed it Maral Brook, and Radnor Township bought the estate from them in 1973. Today the township owns the 47.5-acre park. Willows Park Preserve, a nonprofit, runs the mansion under a 25-year lease signed in 2019 to restore it, maintain it and keep it open to the public.
The Preserve's current priorities sit below ground: drying out the mansion basement and repairing and reinforcing its foundation. Its October 10 Twilight on the Terrace fundraiser asked guests to support that work. No construction dates have been announced.
The Preserve's holiday weekend is the easiest way to see the inside of the house this season. A ticketed holiday party and vendor preview runs Friday, December 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. The next day, Saturday, December 5, a free open house runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free parking on site. The details are on the Preserve's holiday open house page.
The planting, the owl hikes and the mansion events overlap through the end of the year. The Radnor Conservancy's TREEtoberFest on October 25 started the season at The Willows with a native-tree giveaway, planting demonstrations and a fall foliage hike. Here is what's ahead:
Willows Park is open dawn to dusk, with restrooms, picnic areas, benches and fishing by the pond. By the open house on December 5, the container trees from November 8 will have been along Abrahams Run for almost four weeks, and the bare-root trees from November 14 for three.
If you've ever been curious what goes into keeping an older Villanova property sound, or you simply care about how this corner of Radnor is looked after, I'm always glad to talk it through. You can reach Jordan Arnold for a confidential consultation, or ask for a free home valuation if you'd like to know where your own property stands this season.
His meticulous attention to detail and direct approach ensure that each transaction is conducted with efficiency and professionalism, distinguishing him as a standout figure of excellence within the business community.